We’ve just seen ZIMS and here’s what we have to say

Last week, project managers from several early adopter institutions gathered at ISIS headquarters for a complete tour of the ZIMS application and of the deployment plan for ZIMS. Below is unedited feedback.


The meeting exceeded my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by the tools being developed and the level of professionalism demonstrated by the team. Everything was well orchestrated and now I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Kudos to ISIS and the development team from India for an outstanding planning meeting!
Thank you.

Nilda Ferrer
Curator of Animal Management Services
Wildlife Conservation Society


Thank you for a well-organized and well-conducted meeting. I would like to repeat what I said on-site: that I am very happy and confident about the whole project. The application looks very good and the same goes for the deployment planning. I left Minneapolis with a good feeling, confident that we will make this happen and actually looking forward to it! Thank you!

Frands Carlsen
Head of Zoology Section, Research and Conservation
Copenhagen Zoo


Thank you ISIS for hosting the ZIMS deployment planning session for early adopter Project Managers. After three days of brainstorming, I have a clear understanding of what services ISIS will provide to each early adopter organization, what is expected of early adopters, and where our institution's resources need to be focused in the upcoming months prior to deployment. I applaud the ISIS staff and development team for an exceptionally informative meeting! Bravo Team ZIMS!!

Becky Bryning
Senior Systems Analyst/Programmer
Zoological Society of San Diego


I was impressed by the thoroughness of the deployment plan and in seeing all the details that are being taken into consideration. ZIMS has come a long, long way in the past year and it was rewarding to see a working demonstration of its abilities and layout. I left the meeting with all my questions answered and a clear vision for the future. I look forward to deploying ZIMS here at the South Carolina Aquarium and being able to “kick its tires” in the real world – bring it on!

Jason Crichton
Director of Husbandry & Facilities
South Carolina Aquarium


After attending the meeting in Minneapolis, I feel much better about the whole ZIMS project and my role in it. The material presented showed how far ZIMS has come since I was last involved with it. Also, the planned step-by-step processes made me much more comfortable with what is expected of me. I am looking forward to working with ZIMS and ISIS.

Aletha Kinser
Sedgwick County Zoo


I found the workshop very useful. It gave me a better understanding of the time-line for deployment, the scope of the project and expectations for the early adopter project managers. It was reassuring to know that ZIMS staff is developing tools to make the deployment easier. Meeting and getting to know the ZIMS team members make me feel like they are here on my zoo ZIMS Team. I am looking forward to the next meeting.

Wendy Wienker
Woodland Park Zoo


From my point of view I certainly left the meeting full of excitement and optimism. It may be a strange thing to say but I am actually looking forward to the deployment process, not scared at all!!

Gert Skipper
Curator Collection Development
Zoos South Australia

ISIS Welcomes new CEO

Photo: Roger Stonecipher

After a comprehensive search, ISIS is happy to introduce Roger Stonecipher as its new CEO. Roger was the very best candidate for the position from an outstanding group of four final candidates. His wealth of experience from the world of corporate leadership will complement the many existing strengths of the ISIS team.

Roger has more than 20 years of experience in the telecom systems and power businesses, and graduate degrees in engineering and business. He most recently was CEO of Lineage Power. Roger has travelled extensively and built strong relationships in dozens of countries.You may read a full biography of Roger by clicking here.

Roger will help ensure not only successful completion of ZIMS but also the next phase of ISIS’s contribution to zoos, aquariums and the wider conservation community. Roger will work closely with Nate Flesness and Hassan Syed to ensure a smooth transition in ISIS leadership.

Welcome, Roger!

First "End-To-End" ZIMS Testing

Judging by the photos we post on ZIMSblog, software development is primarily an activity requiring people to huddle over their laptops. It may not look quite as exciting as feeding the penguins, but if you could look inside the brains of the people in this picture you’d see a great number of happy synaptic sparks.

End-to-end testing is an exciting occurrence for us, because it shows us the ”light at the end of the tunnel.” We certainly have plenty of work to do between now and next March when ZIMS Release 1 is completed, but end-to-end testing marks the very beginning of a new major phase for the ZIMS Project: Deployment. (You will hear more about deployment in the next few weeks. Stop by the ISIS booth at the AZA and EAZA annual conferences for more information on ZIMS deployment!)

End-to-end testing follows the testing done by subject matter experts two weeks ago, who were testing ZIMS functionality and the overall look, feel and ease of navigation.

This week's testing is conducted by members of the ZIMS technical team. They are conducting the first ZIMS end-to-end test, making their way, screen by screen, through the entire application. The goal is to ensure that each screen satisfies every technical requirement stated in the original work plan. Those technical requirements were conceived and set by the global zoological community in meetings held all over the world. The essential job of the ZIMS project is to make sure that ZIMS does what the community has asked it to do.

Pictured Above clockwise: Hassan Syed (standing), Josh Courteau, Nury Sword, Aasim Turk, Doug Verduzco, Gargi Verma, Isaac Koss and Ranita Basu Ray. Not pictured: Craig Yellick, Elisabeth Hunt, Nate Flesness. Click here to see the ZIMS team bios.